Saskatchewan Book Awards is pleased to announce the 2017 Shortlist. The winners will be revealed at the 24th Awards Ceremony on April 29, 2017. Tickets are now on sale! Congratulations to all of the shortlisted authors and publishers! Click here for a printable version.

Awards for Writers

Regina Public Library Book of the Year Award

A World We Have Lost: Saskatchewan Before 1905 by Bill Waiser (Fifth House Publishers)

Never Mind by Katherine Lawrence (Turnstone Press)

The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel (Penguin Random House)

The Pain Eater by Beth Goobie (Second Story Press)

Muslims for Peace and Justice Fiction Award

New Albion by Dwayne Brenna (Coteau Books)

The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel (Penguin Random House)

The Pain Eater by Beth Goobie (Second Story Press)

What’s Left Behind by Gail Bowen (McClelland & Stewart)

University of Saskatchewan Non-Fiction Award

100 Days of Cree by Neal McLeod with Arok Wolvengrey (University of Regina Press)

A World We Have Lost: Saskatchewan Before 1905 by Bill Waiser (Fifth House Publishers)

Indigenous Peoples’ Publishing Award

Coteau Books

University of Regina Press

Saskatchewan Book Awards is pleased to invite you to Sunday brunch on November 13th. Only $20 per person gets you one regular priced brunch item at the Capitol Restaurant in Regina.

Connie Gault, Gerry Hill, and Carol Daniels will read at the event. A 50/50 Raffle and Silent Auction will also be featured.

Seating times:10:00 AM - 12:00 PM12:00 PM - 2:00 PM2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Tickets are available at the SBA office (315-1102 8th Ave) or from board and staff members. All proceeds go towards supporting authors and publishers in Saskatchewan! Call or email Executive Director Courtney Bates-Hardy for more information (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 306-569-1585).

Saskatchewan Book Awards is now open for submissions to the 2017 awards competition. The Call for Entries is available for download on our website. Once you're ready to submit, please use our online entry form. Copies of the book and a cheque for the submissions fee must be sent to the office at 315-1102 8th Ave, Regina, SK S4R 1C9. Submission fees are used for the administrative costs of processing the submissions and are therefore non-refundable. Submissions will close on Tuesday, November 1.

This year, there are 14 categories, including: Book of the Year, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Saskatoon Book, Regina Book, First Book, Poetry, Indigenous Peoples’ Writing, Young Adult Literature, Scholarly Writing, Publishing, Indigenous Peoples’ Publishing, Publishing in Education, and the Prix du livre français. The Children’s Literature Award is not being offered in 2017 but will be offered again in 2018.

The shortlist will be announced in February 2017 and award winners will be announced on Saturday, April 29, 2017 at the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina. Contact the Saskatchewan Book Awards at 306-569-1585 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

The 2017 Call for Entries was released on August 2, 2016 with changes to the Poetry Award criteria. The changes indicated that co-authored books and anthologies would be eligible for the Poetry Award. The SBA office has since received feedback from the poetry community that the inclusion of anthologies is neither warranted nor wanted.

In 2015, a co-authored poetry book was submitted to the Book Awards that highlighted a gap in the criteria. At the Annual General Meeting in May, the board voted to change the criteria of the Poetry Award to allow books by more than one author to be eligible. Upon reviewing the motion made by the board at the AGM, we believe the intention was to make books by no more than two authors eligible. As such, the Criteria of the Poetry Award has been adjusted to reflect this decision. Books by one or two authors, but not anthologies, will be eligible for the Poetry Award. Submissions will open on September 1st.

Saskatchewan Book Awards deeply values the authors and publishers we support and celebrate, and we want our criteria to reflect this principle. SBA apologizes for any inconvenience that these changes may have caused, and appreciates the patience and support of our authors and publishers. Please contact the SBA office directly with any questions or concerns.